“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.”
David Roddy has been the man in the arena that Teddy Roosevelt once spoke of a lot lately.
It’s the last day in January, and the Colorado State forward (or guard or center, depending on the day) is at the free throw line with less than two seconds to go and a chance to win the game in a rivalry showdown against Wyoming. The 6' 6", 255-pound “freight train,” as one former coach described him, stands at the line with a wry grin on his face, staring down a hoop 15 feet away with rowdy Wyoming students just behind the basket.
The first shot? Tie game.
The second clangs short off the front of the rim. Overtime.
Roddy fouls out midway through the extra period, called for an offensive foul while backing down his defender. The junior immediately pulls his jersey over his face in disbelief. Wyoming scores the game’s next seven points and wins, 86–83, with Roddy on the bench.
Just three days later, Roddy is in the arena again. His Rams have blown a 20-point second-half lead in front of a sellout crowd at home in Fort Collins, Colo., against San Diego State, a team that beat CSU by 30 points in early January. His team now trails by one with less than 15 seconds to play. Roddy retrieves the ball that just swished through the net to put his team behind by one, quickly inbounds it and sprints up the floor behind point guard Isaiah Stevens.
Roddy’s in the right place at the right time. Stevens loses control of the ball as he penetrates inside the arc, but it comes right to Roddy. Roddy gathers, elevates and shoots.
Nothing but net.
One defensive stop later, and the students that packed Moby Arena are on the court celebrating with the big man (literally) on campus.
The next day, Roddy posts a picture of that emotional moment. The caption? “Man in the Arena.”